


Spooptober ficlets

by MiriRainbowitz



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), Havenfall is for Lovers (Visual Novel), Leverage
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Alternate Universe - Wings, Bigfoot - Freeform, Demon Deals, Demons, Dragons, Gen, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Loch Ness Monster, Mermaids, Mothman, Multi, Mummies, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shapeshifting, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Zombies, no betas we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 4,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26767960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiriRainbowitz/pseuds/MiriRainbowitz
Summary: It's October so I'm writing various spoopy ficlets and drabbles about Leverage/the ot3 every day.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 54
Kudos: 72





	1. Werewolf

A tear slipped from Tracy's eye, and for a brief second she _hated_ herself for showing that weakness, hated her stupid RSD and her stupid life and her stupid body and this whole stupid day. The woman she was serving thankfully didn't notice it, continuing her tirade about Tracy and how she was bad at her job and that the food was bad and the restaurant was bad and how it was definitely Tracy's fault-

"Get out."

Tracy started, surprised by Mr. Spencer's growl coming from behind her, but she didn't have to look at him to know that he was addressing the now-silent lady.

The silence lasted for a few seconds, but the lady started to splutter when Mr. Spencer grabbed the plate in front of her. "You can't just- how dare you!"

There was another growl, this one deeper and more threatening, and Tracy turned to see Mr. Spencer's eyes glowing red and his lips pulled back in a snarl that showed off a mouth full of unnaturally sharp teeth. A clawed finger stabbed the table in front of the woman. "Get. Out."

The woman went pale and quickly gathered up her stuff before stomping out of the restaurant in a huff. Mr. Spencer patted Tracy's shoulder with a normal-looking hand and asked, "Do you want to go home?"

Tracy shook her head. "I just need a little cry and I'll be fine." 

"Take your time. And eat a little chocolate," Mr. Spencer replied.

Tracy smiled and went to the break room. Working for monsters like Mr. Spencer was the best decision she'd ever made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Entitled Karens are the real monsters.


	2. Mermaids

The sun fell on Parker's body, warming her skin and turning the blue scales of her tale into sapphires and emeralds with flashes of gold. Eliot's black and red tail shone like rubies and onyx and rainbows, and Hardison's tail was-

"Alec, why did you put your tail away?" Parker asked. He was just as naked as her and Eliot, but his body was completely human, his tail gone in favor of his legs.

Alec didn't respond. Parker pulled herself closer and heard Alec snoring softly. She scooted herself next to him, throwing an arm across his stomach and snuggling up against his back. The sound of his heartbeat and the waves on the beach quickly lulled her to sleep.


	3. Dungeons and dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I was like "I need to do _research_ and put some serious thought into what races and classes the ot3 would be and what they'd be fighting" but then I was like "actually that sounds like too much work so screw that"

The night was quiet. The only sounds Eliot could hear were the crackle of the fire behind him and the not-quite snores from Parker and Hardison. It was peaceful overall, but Eliot was uneasy for some reason. It was almost _too_ quiet.

No. It _was_ too quiet.

The forest surrounding them should have been filled with the noises made by nocturnal animals, but it was completely silent. There was something out there that was making every animal try to be unnoticeable. Definitely something big and scary, and even though Eliot was good, he knew he couldn't take on whatever it was by himself.

He quickly went over to where Parker and Hardison were sleeping and shook them. "Wake up. There's something big out there."

To their credit, neither of them protested much at being awakened so abruptly. Parker palmed her daggers as she sat up, while Hardison closed his eyes, his face furrowed in concentration.

"That thing ain't sentient, but it knows we're here and it's hungry," Hardison said. "It's-"

A screech split the air, and a four-foot-tall spider jumped from a tree into the clearing, landing ten feet away from them. Hardison yelped and scrambled back. It was too dark for Eliot to make out exactly what species it was, but he couldn't take any chances with Parker's and Hardison's lives. He drew his sword and pointed it at the spider.

A fireball flew past him at the spider, hitting it straight on, but the flames didn't catch. Eliot heard Hardison curse at his spell's ineffectiveness, and the spider let out another screech before charging at Hardison.

Eliot dove in front of Hardison, angling his sword so that it pierced the spider's jaw and came out through the top of its head. The spider was heavy, however, and its momentum kept on moving it forward, only stopping when its head hit the crosspiece of Eliot's sword, its mandibles an inch away from his unprotected arm.

Hardison shouted, and ice shot at the spider. It was encased in a block of ice in a few seconds.

With Eliot's sword stuck in its head.

"Dammit, Hardison."


	4. Witches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly 100 words! Hell yeah!

Make no mistake, Hardison _loved_ technology. So much of the world lay at his fingertips when he was in front of a computer, history and money and power and people just a few keystrokes away. The internet was a map, and Hardison's hacking made him an expert at reading it.

But technology could only do so much. For example, human technology couldn't put him on a broomstick racing through the night sky, Eliot and Parker flying along with him. That was all witchcraft.

Yes, Hardison loved technology. But he loved magic too.


	5. Dragons #1

"Parker. _Please_ tell me that's not-"

"I found a baby dragon! Isn't she cute?"

"Chrrrp."

"Parker, we can't keep her."

"Why not?"

"We- the _license_ , and we would need to dragon-proof the apartment, and we don't have anything for her to _eat_ or _play_ \- mmmph."

"Aww, she likes you."

"Eliot, I got the license covered, and I know a guy who can dragon-proof the apartment tomorrow. And we have plenty of raw meat until we can get some actual dragon food."

"...Fine. She can stay."

"Yay! I'm gonna steal her some gold!"

"Parker, no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parker loves dragons bc she's ace.


	6. Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a very stupid joke. I hope you like it!

Eliot smiled at the receptionist. "You said there's a reason this room is so cheap?"

"Yeah, people say it's haunted," the receptionist replied. They shrugged. "I don't know, man. I've never seen anything, but there's been quite a few people who've said that. Anyway, here's the key, and I hope you have a good night."

Eliot took the key card and went to his room. Settling in didn't take long, and he was on a video call with Parker and Hardison in a few minutes.

It was around when Eliot was getting ready to go to sleep that he heard- _something_. It sounded like a human voice, and it was coming from the closet. Eliot tensed.

The voice grew clearer. "Bloody fingers… bloody fingers… bloody fingers…"

A transparent figure appeared, presumably the ghost that haunted the room. It was hard to see a lot of details about it except for its hands, which were dripping blood.

"Yeah, that happens to me too sometimes," Eliot said. "Do you want some bandaids?"


	7. Vampires

"You're impossibly fast and strong. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. Your eyes change color and sometimes you speak like- like you're from a different time. You never eat or drink anything, and you don't go out in the sunlight."

She breathed out shakily. "I know what you are."

"Say it. Out loud. _Say it_."

"A vampire."

Eliot snorted and hit the pause button. "He sure isn't like any vampire _I've_ ever met. What's next, does sunlight not harm him?"

"Well, actually…" Hardison trailed off. "You know what, let's just keep watching. You'll see for yourself."


	8. Wings #1

"Are you an angel?"

Parker looked down to see a child standing next to her, his wide eyes fixed on her wings. She cursed internally- if their mark knew she was here, the con would be blown- but she didn't let her thoughts show on her face. Instead, she smiled slightly.

"I... am," she said. "And that's the reason you can't tell anyone I'm here." 

"Why?"

"I'm here to, uh, punish a bad person," Parker replied. Her thoughts raced as she came up with something to say. "But the other angels don't think I should be here, and if they know, I'll lose my wings and stop being an angel. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No way!" The boy exclaimed.

"Then run along and don't tell anyone I'm here," Parker said. The boy nodded solemnly and scurried away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write the ot3 grooming each other's wings but this happened instead. Maybe I'll write that later.


	9. Dragons #2

Eliot whistled as he looked around the room. "That's a right proper hoard you've got there."

Parker beamed. "Archie's hoard is bigger, but that's only because he's been around longer. Well, actually… I did steal some of it from him, but he also stole some of mine, so… I don't know. We haven't been able to get together and compare."

"Parker, you have all this gold and jewels and _everything_. Why don't you just retire with this?" Sophie asked.

Parker smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Because stealing is _fun_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Sophie just showed up.


	10. Deal with a demon

"I can make sure they stay safe."

Eliot paused in the middle of his chanting, and the demon chuckled. "I see I struck a nerve. Yes, Eliot Spencer, if you make a deal with me, I will guarantee that your lovers will never come to harm while they still live."

Eliot stood immobile. Parker and Hardison would never forgive him for making the deal, but… he wouldn't be able to protect them forever, even while he was still alive. One day he would be too old, too slow to get between them and harm's way. Taking the demon's deal- his soul for their safety- was tempting.

Eliot opened his mouth to speak. The demon smirked.

"Exorcizamus te…"


	11. Shifters

Brian was beginning to get frustrated. Unlike most of the strays he'd rounded up, the cat he was following seemed to have a destination in mind, moving quickly and purposely in a single direction. But no, that couldn't be possible. It was just a _cat_.

The cat slipped into an alley, and Brian followed. To his delight, the alley was a dead end. He could finally catch the cat, drop it off at the nearest shelter, and then go home and sleep for a century.

A low growl rumbled through the air, and Brian froze. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the alley- something _big_. A pair of golden eyes, gleaming with reflected light, appeared in the darkness.

The animal stepped into the light, and Brian shrieked, because that was an actual _**wolf**_ standing protectively over the cat he was trying to catch. There was no point in trying to pretend it was just a large dog- its face was too fierce, its eyes were too predatory, and its growl was too threatening. Brian stumbled back in fear.

That action seemed to please the wolf, its stance changing, and Brian backed away until he was out of the alley, then bolted to his car. A blotch on his otherwise flawless record was definitely preferable to getting mauled to death by a wolf.

* * *

"You didn't have to scare that guy half to death, Eliot," Hardison said. "He was just doing his job."

"I know," Eliot replied, then smirked. "But I _wanted_ to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you couldn't tell, Hardison was the cat and Eliot was the wolf.


	12. Powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still the 12th in some time zones okay? I just slept most of the day yesterday so I didn't write this until right now. Sorry about that.

Hardison didn't _mind_ being able to hover. Like, it was pretty cool, once he got the hang of it. It could definitely help him get out of a tight situation- people couldn't touch him if he was floating 10 feet above their heads. He did sometimes wish that he had a different power, but, well, who didn't?

Parker rarely used her invisibility. For one, it kinda felt like cheating. Sneaking past guards who couldn't see her was pointless. It didn't require any _skill_. Invisibility was a copout. For two, being invisible didn't mean she was undetectable. Heat sensors, lasers, pressure plates, and other security measures weren't affected by the fact that humans couldn't see her. And for three, her invisibility didn't seem to work on cats.

People thought Eliot's power was endurance, or faster reflexes, or accelerated healing. It had to be one of these. How else could Eliot shrug off beatings that would incapacitate others? How else could he move so fast? It had to be his powers. But the truth was, Eliot's power was none of those.

The truth was, Eliot didn't have any powers. And he loved that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cats can see Parker when she's invisible because cats are just like that.


	13. Fae

"We're coming with you."

Parker turned around to see Eliot and Hardison standing behind her, determined expressions set on their faces. She sighed. "I guess I'd better tell you the rules."

She raised a finger. "Rule one- stick with me. That's the only way you'll stay under my protection. They can't touch you. They'll try to get you away, but you can't let that happen."

"Rule two- only talk to me or each other. Don't answer any questions directed towards you, don't respond to anything anyone says to you. And _don't say your name_. Let me do all of the talking. They invited _me_ here, because their business is with me. Talking to anyone will include you in that, and that _won't_ end well."

"Rule three- don't eat or drink anything. Don't take anything offered to you. If you see something that you want, let me know and I'll negotiate for it. If you steal something, do it as we're leaving, because they'll execute you if they catch you." She looked at their faces. "Got it?"

Eliot and Hardison nodded, and Parker smiled. "Then let's go see why my aunt invited us to her Court."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Parker's aunt is the Fae Queen.


	14. Loch Ness Monster

"Marcus Blythe. He's basically the same as that Kayak guy- the one with the aliens, remember?"

"Don't you mean Kanack?"

"No, I'm pretty sure his name was Kodak. Right, Hardison?"

"Yeah, but anyway, Marcus Blythe is basically the exact same. He steals ideas from other people, slaps his name on them, and if they complain, he threatens to sic his army of lawyers on them. The con is probably basically gonna be the same, but we'll have to do some tweaks. Unlike Kojak, his thing isn't aliens."

"What is his thing?"

"The Loch Ness Monster."

"Then let's go steal a Loch Ness Monster."


	15. Dracula

"I must thank you for rescuing me," Lisa said when they finally stopped. "If I had died..." She shuddered. "I don't know what my husband would have done."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Ţepeş," the blond woman said. "We could hardly let an innocent woman burn."

Lisa laughed bitterly. "Did you not hear the priest? I am a witch and the wife of Dracula. In the eyes of the Church, any innocence I had is long gone."

The white man looked into her eyes. "In the eyes of the Church, the last great monster-hunting family was in league with the Devil. Now they're gone, and the world is worse off for it."

The black man put a hand on her shoulder. "What he's trying to say is that the Church spews a lot of bullshit. I personally wouldn't trust a priest if he told me water was wet. We don't think you're a witch."

Lisa smiled sadly. "But I _am_ the wife of Dracula, and the mother of his son. What will you do now?"

The woman smiled. "We'll get you home."


	16. Bigfoot

"You sure that's not a bear track?" Hardison asked. "Cause it looks like a bear track to me."

"No, it's definitely a bigfoot," Eliot replied. "It's a very distinctive footprint."

"How can you tell?" Parker asked.

"Well firstly, the tracks indicate that the creature is bipedal," Eliot replied. "You see how the back is slightly deeper than the front? That doesn't happen when you're walking on four legs. Also, bears are quadrupeds by nature. They only go on their hind legs to reach something higher up."

"For two, given the length of the stride, the footprints would be deeper if it was a bear. A bear with this stride length would be _very_ heavy. Also, there's no claw marks anywhere. And thirdly, you can see the bigfoot right over there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got in Eliot's "distinctive" catchphrase!
> 
> Also, I don't know anything about tracking and wildlife and stuff so please don't @ me if there's inaccuracies


	17. Mothman

"So, uh."

"I'm… Mothman. Yes, _the_ Mothman. I'd show you what I look like, but there's too many humans around. And also, _he'll_ be able to track me if I transform. So. Yeah."

"Anyway, he's been tracking me for about two months now. I've had to keep moving, and it's getting tiring. I just want to go home, and return to my normal life."

"Well. As "normal" as possible for a cryptid like me."

"So. Can you help?"

Parkers smiled, her eyes glowing blue. "For a fellow cryptid? Of course we can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Mothman is a character in a "choose your romance" game called Lovestruck. The series they're in is called "Havenfall is for lovers". The "he" that Mothman is talking about is a manticore that wants to eat them. 
> 
> You also may be asking "what kind of cryptid is Parker?" And the answer is "I don't know and also I don't care." She's just some kind of cryptid.


	18. Zombies

"Hey Eliot, why is the glass in these windows bulletproof?" Hardison asked. "Matter of fact, why is this tiny little cabin of yours so fortified?"

"This is my zombie apocalypse house," Eliot said. "It's easily defensible, it's got enough arable land to grow food, and the upkeep on the house is pretty easy. Plus-" he smirked- "the basement is very well stocked."

"When you say 'very well stocked', do you mean it has a lot of food and supplies, or…" Hardison trailed off.

Eliot's eyes glinted. "There's a reason we're honeymooning here."


	19. Haunted house

"Eli- Eliot. What the _hell_ is all of this?" Hardison asked. "Salt pellets? Water guns? Why. Just- what?"

"We're staying in a _haunted mansion_ , Hardison," Eliot snapped. "Ghosts don't like salt or holy water, so the salt pellets are for holding them off, the water guns are for shooting holy water- I got a few gallons of that, don't worry- and the…" he trailed off, noticing Hardison's incredulous expression. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure the mansion isn't actually haunted," Hardison replied.

Eliot shrugged. "You never know when you're gonna have to fight a ghost."


	20. Pokemon

"Parker, we have a problem," Eliot said. "I can't battle the next guy. He has a Blaziken, so Val wouldn't last 10 seconds and Gigabyte wouldn't last much longer either. Spark has the Flying type advantage, so you're gonna have to go in."

Parker was silent for a few seconds. "I suppose you'll be able to protect Hardison from the guards, but Spark is a bit tired. Do you have a full restore?"

Wordlessly, Eliot tossed her a spray bottle. After she was finished spraying her Emolga, she gave the bottle back to Eliot. "Good luck."

"Go kick that Blaziken's ass," Eliot replied before walking away with Hardison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Val is Eliot's Alolan Ninetails, Gigabyte is Hardison's Porygon, and Spark is Parker's Emolga.


	21. Powers #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on the movie "Sky High". Students with combat-useful powers are deemed "heroes" and the rest are "sidekicks".
> 
> Also, Eliot hits people in this chapter. If descriptions of bodily harm isn't your thing, you probably shouldn't read this chapter.

"Move it, sidekick."

Eliot didn't respond. He focused on eating his sandwich, determinedly ignoring the presence of the bullies behind him. He was here first, dammit. Those "heroes" could find another table to sit at.

A hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed it extremely hard. It hurt, but Eliot could still feel his arm. Super strength, definitely, but clearly not knowledgeable about the human body. "Are you deaf? Move. _Now_."

In one fluid motion, Eliot shoved his chair backwards and bent forward. The person who had grabbed him went flying over his head, landing on his back on the table. Eliot turned around. 

There were three other guys standing there. Eliot quickly catalogued them. Mark had telekinesis, Alix had super strength, and Alan had cryokinesis.

Alix took a swing at him, but Eliot ducked. His arm kept going, though, hitting Alan squarely in the face. There was a wet crunching sound- a broken nose, probably- and a howl of pain, but Eliot ignored it, moving forward to ram Mark in the gut. Mark stumbled backwards, hitting a chair behind him and falling down.

A hand closed on his hair and _yanked_ , causing tears of pain to prick in his eyes as some of his hair was ripped out. He turned around to see Alix standing there, looking angry. He drew his fist back.

Before the punch could land, Eliot jabbed his hand into Alix's throat, hitting his trachea. Alix wheezed at the impact, both of his hands going to his neck. A quick kick right above Alix's kneecap had him falling down.

Eliot took a look around, making sure the "heroes" were incapacitated, then sat back down and picked up his sandwich and started eating again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eliot is a "sidekick" because he doesn't have a "useful" power, but obviously he can still kick anyone's ass.


	22. Ghost hunters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda loosely based on Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara from Buzzfeed Unsolved

"Here, ghosty-ghost," Parker said in a sing-song voice. "Come on out…"

Hardison shook his head. "Nuh-uh, nope, no no no, _don't_ come near," he said. "Just stay where you are. You don't need to show yourselves."

Eliot put a hand on Hardison's shoulder. "Don't worry, Hardison, I can take out any ghost that goes near you. And Parker, quit antagonizing the ghosts. Angry ghosts are a lot more dangerous than non-angry ones."

Parker pouted. "But it's fun," she replied.

Hardison sighed. Man, some of the things he did for love...


	23. Mummies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda based on the only good version of "The Mummy" (the 1999 version)

The man behind the bars was certainly attractive, Parker thought. Scruffy brown hair brushed his shoulders and bright blue eyes set into a handsome face concentrated on her and Hardison. As she stared at him, a smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Damn, he's hot," Hardison said quietly, and Parker elbowed him. "Focus," she hissed.

"What, is admiring a fine-looking person a crime now?" Hardison teased, but settled his face. He and Parker walked forward.

When they reached the cage, Parker bent down. "Are you Eliot Spencer?"

"Depends who's asking," he replied.

"Word has it that Eliot Spencer has been to Hamunaptra," Hardison said. "And we're going there for a job, so it would be nice if a highly trained hitter who was familiar with Hamunaptra was there to guide us and provide a little protection."

"In that case, I _am_ Eliot Spencer," Eliot replied. "What's the job?"

Parker smiled. "We're going to steal the Book of the Dead."


	24. Wings #2

Parker shivered as Hardison started rubbing the oil into her wings. Under his warm, clever hands, the stiffness seemed to just melt away. He was methodical, too, moving slowly up and down to test for rigidity.

Hardison stopped in front of her as he finished oiling the front side of her left wing. His voice was just a murmur when he asked "How'm I doing?"

Parker smiled. "Don't worry, you're doing great," she assured him. She leaned closer to him until their faces were barely an inch apart. "In fact, I think you should get a reward." 

She closed the distance between them and gently pressed her lips to his.


	25. Daemons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is late. I just couldn't make myself write yesterday.

Elina opened her eyes when she felt Kary settle down next to her on her bed. "They kicked me out of the bedroom," Kary complained. "I was almost comfortable too."

"I can't speak for Hardison, but Eliot is uncomfortable with people and daemons watching him have sex," Elina said. "And do you _really_ want to be in the same room as humans having sex?"

The look of disgust on Kary's face was kind of hilarious, causing Elina to let out a short huff- her way of chuckling. "That's what I thought."

Asta swooped over to land next to them. "It does also bother Hardison," she said. "At least it gives _us_ a good excuse to cuddle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elina is Eliot's wolf daemon, Kary is Parker's black cat daemon, and Asta is Hardison's scarlet macaw daemon.


	26. Bending

Sometimes, Hardison wished that he was a bender. Eliot's earthbending was a sight to behold, especially when he was fighting- rocks and fists and feet flying around, beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Parker's airbending was just as amazing, sending her vaulting gracefully through the air. Was it any wonder that he wished he could do that?

But then again, if he was a bender, he probably wouldn't have even met them. Eliot and Parker had needed a tech guy, not another bender, and Hardison had spent most of his life compensating for his lack of bending by making technology that could put him on equal footing with benders.

So yeah. Given the choice between bending and having Eliot and Parker in his life, Hardison would always pick the second option.


	27. Fairy tale

Once upon a time, there was a locked tower with a single occupant inside it. Some people say that the occupant was a beautiful woman, but those people are wrong, because it's actually a handsome man who poked his nose into something he shouldn't have and got imprisoned for it. That's why he's in the tower.

There _is_ a beautiful woman. She's a thief, the best in the land, and she's going to the tower because the handsome man belongs to _her_. No one else is allowed to have him.

She has a companion. He's a fighter, also the best in the land, and he belongs to her as well. He knows that the tower is guarded, so he'll fight the guards while the thief breaks into the tower and rescues the handsome man.

When they get to the tower, the fighter fights the guards, who are really no match for him, while the thief picks the lock, which isn't even slightly challenging for her. It's so easy, in fact, that the thief scolds the man for not breaking out. His protests of "I didn't have anything to pick the lock with" fall on deaf ears. However, she does agree with him when he says that he couldn't have fought off the guards if he had managed to pick the lock.

The three people leave as quickly as they can, hurrying back to their base and gathering all of their essentials. By the time the men guarding the tower reach their employer to tell him that the man in the tower has escaped, they've been gone for hours, leaving not a single clue as to where they're headed.

What's that? You wanted me to tell you a traditional fairy tale? I don't really know any of those. Okay, look, would me saying "and they lived happily ever after" be okay? Because they did. Not many people know that- that they were happy, with themselves and their lives and each other.


	28. Ambient magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ambient magic here is based on the books in Tamora Pierce's "Circle" Universe.

Machines had always called to Hardison. He'd hear the computers in school whispering to each other, or the high-pitched buzz of cell phones as they worked, or even the barely intelligible rumblings of the electronics in cars. Is it any wonder he turned to hacking, when every piece of technology he held talked to him so readily?

For Eliot, there was magic in movement. If he stepped like this, he could move faster. If he gestured like that, his punches would have more power. If he walked in a certain way, he could be nearly as undetectable as Parker. He didn't know why he was this way, but he definitely wasn't gonna question it.

The shadows were Parker's home. They were warm and comforting when they wrapped around her like a cloak, hiding her form and obscuring her face. They let her slip easily and silently through them, helping her get into and out of places that no one else could. Her gift was valuable, her most precious treasure, so Parker guarded it jealously. No one else could know about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hardison has technology magic, Eliot has dance magic, and Parker has shadow magic.


	29. Pacific Rim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on [this post](https://seananmcguire.tumblr.com/post/154638772905/sisforsammi-drift-compatible-a-lot-of-peoplea)

"Sharknose is down," Parker's voice says over the speakers. "No Encores is heading back."

Hardison slumps back into his chair, his body sagging in relief. It's the worst feeling in the world when No Encores leaves the Shatterdome, Eliot and Parker in the cockpit. The two most important people in his life are out there, fighting off giant monsters that could tear them away from him so easily. A wrong move, a mental misstep, or a faulty piece of machinery is all it would take for them to be defeated.

But they always come back, and that? That is the _best_ feeling in the world. Thanks to Parker, No Encores dodges everything with an agility unrivaled by any other jaeger, and with Eliot manning the weapons, the blows No Encores delivers are as efficient and deadly as possible. No Encores has always triumphed, and has always made its way back home.

To Hardison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~please comment I need validation~~


	30. Star Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In honor of today being the S2 premier of ~~The Baby Yoda Show~~ The Mandalorian, have a Star Wars au!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was partially inspired by [this post](https://thisnewdevilry.tumblr.com/post/159781204934/im-honestly-blown-away-by-the-number-of-notes-on) and partially by various people in the Leverage server.

"Some stormtroopers are following us," Hardison said quietly. "They haven't identified us yet, though. Eliot, do you want to deal with them or should I?" 

Before Eliot could say anything, Parker spoke. "We have to maintain a low profile. Eliot would draw too much attention. Hardison, do your weird mind thing."

Hardison smirked, then walked up to the pair of stormtroopers. "Excuse me, are you two looking for something?" He emphasized the last few words with the Force, trying to make the stormtroopers forget what it was they were looking for.

"We, uh…" the stormtrooper trailed off. "There's… word of some smugglers?"

Hardison smiled reassuringly. "There's no smugglers here. You two should return to your post."

"There's no smugglers here. We'll be returning to our post," one of the stormtroopers said, then turned and walked away with the other one. Hardison rejoined Eliot and Parker.

"Am I good, or am I _good_ ," Hardison asked. Parker leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"You're the best."


	31. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, everyone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've all enjoyed the stories I've posted this month, and I would also like to thank everyone who's helped me write these ficlets.

Hardison

"Alright, first up we have _Hocus Pocus_ ," Hardison said. "Then _The Nightmare before Christmas_ , which should get us to _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ at midnight. Everyone good with that?"

There was a chorus of various noises of agreement from everyone in the room. Hardison smiled. "Then let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Eliot

Eliot looked at the tables in front of him in satisfaction. Bowls filled with every kind of candy, some even not-so-legally acquired, covered every spare inch of space available. The lighting was on, the electronic decorations were plugged in, and all of the pumpkins were perfectly in place.

This was definitely going to be a good Halloween.

* * *

Parker

Parker snuck around to the back side of the house, staying in the shadows. When she got to the back door, she put down the bag she was carrying and quickly picked the lock, breathing out a sigh of relief when the alarm didn't go off.

The house was dark and silent. Parker wasted no time putting the bag of dog droppings on the coffee table in the living room, then left as quickly as she came. "Trick or treat, asshole," she muttered as she re-locked the back door.

Maybe now the Browns would start cleaning up after their dog.


End file.
